"This is the book that I wish all of my male classmates would have read when I was 16," The Guardian quoted Clara Berglund, president of the Swedish Women's Lobby, as saying. "It feels so important to contribute to this project. It is a gift to all second-grade high-school students, but it is also a gift to ourselves and future generations."

Sweden is one of the most gender-equal nations. It scores 0.8165 on the Global Gender Gap index, the highest score being 1. Its official gender equality website says: "Gender equality is one of the cornerstones of Swedish society."

The Nigerian author broke onto the literary scene with her phenomenal Purple Hibiscus in 2003, followed by three novels. Her work delves into Nigeria's history and usually portrays strong female characters.

A passage from her essay reads:

"The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn't have the weight of gender expectations."